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Yes, Santa, I wonder if it is some kind of game some of them play. Although I don't get it with artics, I do get it from those long rigid body lorries towing a trailer the same size as the truck. Or do they just forget they have a trailer on the back? I have had them pass me, very slowly, when I have been doing 70, swinging in before they have completely past, causing me to brake hard to avoid them.

I find it's car drivers who are the worst for overtaking and cutting in in front very tight.

Nearly all vehicles over 3½ tonnes are governed to 65 mph. There are some exceptions relating to some light vehicles first used before 2004 which were deemed too difficult to limit. Buses and coaches are also limited.

The A75 is a single carriageway road and the lorries should only be doing 40mph. Many of them will be illegally doing their maximum possible 56mph, because they are running short of time, either for their driving hours, of their ferry departure. Even those not in a hurry will often go fast, simply because they don't want to be the ones holding up their fellow drivers.

The haulage firm I used to work for, loaded three or four McBurney's trailers every evening for NI.

The thing is with these commercial vehicles on the roads, their schedule is probably made up by someone who hasn't got a clue of the amount of traffic on the roads, or how long it takes to get to a certain location?

Probably because they have never driven any of the routes, and spend their days tucked up in a cosy office, totally oblivious to the real world?

Like the muppet who phoned us up one day, complaining that we were taking too long to reach a certain place, when we questioned her, her reply was.....well its only three inches on the map?????

With excuses like commercial drivers having schedules to meet, and using these to argue the case for exceeding speed limits, perhaps the law should be changed to make it illegal for drivers to be given schedules to which they are required to adhere.
And to anyone who cannot accept this, I would only say that road safety for everyone on the road takes absolute precedence over any driver being in a hurry.

Perhaps I phrased my comments badly. Those speeding drivers have no excuse, but that is what they will say if asked. There is always another ferry, and they should be able to plan their breaks to fit the demands of the job. Whatever some clerk in an office might say, it is the driver's responsibility to keep within the law.

I would say however that a blanket 40mph limit for trucks is pretty low by today's standards, and anyone who has been stuck, unable to overtake, behind one would probably agree. A modern truck may be bigger and heavier than one from 50 years ago, but braking systems and tyres are several magnitudes better than they were then. There is also much stricter supervision of truck operators by VOSA than there ever was. I believe that there is a consultation paper out now, to change it to 50mph.

The road I mentioned must be one of the worst in the UK for flouting the speed limit by lorry drivers. Sorry to pin it to NI and Ireland but that is the case. They flout the law on the A55 around Rhyl and Colwyn Bay where there is about 2 miles of a 50mph. Perhaps the police should be more vigilant on these ferry routes and stop them for a full vehicle check. I contacted N.Wales police and they pointed out that it was a minefield to try and get fines applied and too costly to persue. Perhaps on the spot fines would be better. No pay, no movement of vehicle!

Santa, for the really heavy trucks, 40 mph is probably still needed for safety. Regardless of technical development (brakes, tyres, etc), there comes a point where speed and weight combine to create a force that overcomes the frictional resistance between tyres and road, and which further deteriorates in wet/slippery conditions. It is essential that authority errs on the side of safety in setting speed limits which adequately ensure the best possible protection when these large vehicles require to be brought to an emergency stop.
It is not practical to set limits based on exactly what can be achieved on a controlled test, under ideal conditions. Safety factors must be applied.
For example, when we had lifting gear installed for production use, it first had to be subjected to tests by an authorised Company.
If the lifting capacity was to be 1 Tonne, then the gear had to be tested up to a 5 Tonne load - in other words, a safety factor of 5.

If you were sure that your vehicle, taking into account thinking and braking distances, had an overall stopping distance of 150 metres at a given speed, you would not be happy to follow another vehicle at that speed with a gap of 151 metres. Drivers do strictly follow guidelines, and some are not fully capable of precisely judging distances (applies to all drivers, including HGVs), so some additional limitations - maximum permissible speed - must be applied.

I am not entirely impressed with the "two chevron" rule indicated visually on some motorways. For a solo car, perhaps OK. I apply a minimum of four chevrons when towing a caravan. For some of the heavily laden, large lorries, this is probably not enough. But, even so, some seem to follow close to the two chevron rule.

Totally agree about A75 - the speeds lorries travel at along it is downright scary.

With regard to timetabling for commercials, I really do think that Smudger's comment is partly accurate. As regards dashing for ferries, there is an issue - possibly linked in with scheduling - that has not been mentioned and that these vehicles must be booked on a particular ferry. Miss your slot and you could be waiting over 48 hours to get another so there's very considerable pressure on the drivers. It doesn't excuse them of course for breaking the law, merely commenting on the fact of ferry bookings.